That promised to be a hard sell to the San Jose City Council, which would have to authorize both the new site and the expansion. There were flowers everywhere. Jeff signed a deal with his brothers that prohibited him from owning Bay 101 stock until he got all the necessary licenses. He asked longtime family attorney Ron Werner if his brothers could write a recommendation letter for him, something state officials had told him he would need to be considered eligible for a gaming license. "And I told you that I loved you and you are like a father to me. EIGHT MONTHS AFTER its approval by the City Council, the peach-colored Bay 101 held its "grand opening." It's very tightknit," says Bryant, adding that the senior Bumb doesn't give interviews--ever. "He worked for me." Now that their gaming license had been denied, a decision needed to be made--quickly. The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. He started telling people around the office that he wanted out of the family business. Life of Brian: Initially denied a gaming license by the state, Brian Bumb has since received a provisional license and become a partner in Bay 101 with his brothers, Tim and George. But he didn't cash out. The court saga evolved into a battle of wills between a father--a man who wouldn't even let the Vatican tell him what to do--and his oldest son, determined to break free from the old man's grasp. (In one case, George Bumb Sr. loaned Jeff $31,250 in 1992 for his son to invest in Bay 101.) The guy doesn't get a slap on the hand." The district attorney's office says that Bumb attorney Ron Werner turned the letter over to authorities immediately after it came in the mail. VENZON WAS well known to the Bumbs. They recorded the conversation. Three years ago, the Mercury News listed the Bumb family in the Top 10 of the valley's most generous political contributors. The ensuing delay forced Jeff Bumb to lay off 600 workers he had hired. According to Werner, molestation of his daughter became part of a laundry list of damning things Jeff threatened to disclose if his buy-out demands weren't met. The court saga evolved into a battle of wills between a father--a man who wouldn't even let the Vatican tell him what to do--and his oldest son, determined to break free from the old man's grasp. According to Werner, molestation of his daughter became part of a laundry list of damning things Jeff threatened to disclose if his buy-out demands weren't met. AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. VENZON WAS well known to the Bumbs. In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. He followed that with suits alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and misrepresentation. Bumb family attorney Ron Werner suggested that Jeff and his family had a hidden motive for waiting nearly a month to report the incident to police. "And I told you that I loved you and you are like a father to me. Tim and George Jr. worried that pressuring state and city officials to deal Jeff back in at Bay 101 would backfire and authorities would close down the card room. On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. Jeff's daughter interrupted Matthew and said, "And I didn't know better. Werner said no. Hamilton, where Latin mass is conducted on a regular basis. Christopher Gardner she said, referring to the family-run Catholic school at the Flea Market. Toward the end of the call, things got heated. When Jeff and Brian were denied licenses for Bay 101, Tim (above) and brother George Jr. jumped in. But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. First, Jeff tried to have the Bumb & Associates partnership dissolved after accusing his family of trying to force him out without paying him a fair price. A nurse was present to monitor his condition. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." You think this didn't break my heart?" Bumb family attorney Ron Werner suggested that Jeff and his family had a hidden motive for waiting nearly a month to report the incident to police. "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. He asked longtime family attorney Ron Werner if his brothers could write a recommendation letter for him, something state officials had told him he would need to be considered eligible for a gaming license. Soon after his confession, the word started spreading in the family about what happened. Christopher Gardner Behind the scenes, the Bumbs suspected their potential gambling competitors and a disgruntled former Flea Market employee of giving investigators unsubstantiated material to use against them. "They had to find Snow White and Cinderella," Tim Bumb says, "and that was George and I." The court saga evolved into a battle of wills between a father--a man who wouldn't even let the Vatican tell him what to do--and his oldest son, determined to break free from the old man's grasp. In response to Jeff's legal attacks, George Bumb Sr. and Bumb & Associates filed two separate suits of their own to collect nearly $1 million in loans and interest they claimed Jeff never paid. Though authorities were never able to prove a paid snuff plot, Jeff Bumb believes the allegations were a factor contributing to authorities' mistrust of him. Some improprieties did turn up: Bumb & Associates, a partnership including the four brothers and their father, had failed to file required reports disclosing more than $100,000 in political contributions made between 1989 and 1992. ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. According to Werner, molestation of his daughter became part of a laundry list of damning things Jeff threatened to disclose if his buy-out demands weren't met. Finally, in July 1994, the state cleared Tim and George and gave them a conditional OK to let the games begin.
1246 Ridgeline Ct, San Jose, CA, 95127-4326 | The Bumb Family + 2 More "It's a very strong family. Finally, in July 1994, the state cleared Tim and George and gave them a conditional OK to let the games begin. The district attorney's office says that Bumb attorney Ron Werner turned the letter over to authorities immediately after it came in the mail. Don't Shoot: George Bumb Sr., the publicity-shy patriarch of the Bumb family and creator of the Flea Market, in a rare photo which appeared in California Today magazine in 1980. George Bumb Sr.'s loan-repayment demands came in July 1996, just as his oldest son and his wife were about to move to Los Gatos and break away from the family and its eastside enclave. And there were gamblers everywhere who had come looking for some action. Jeff entertained offers to buy the club, the highest bid, he recalls, coming in at $40 million. On March 17, 1993, the City Council gave Bumb and his partners the green light to open a 40-table card room on a 10-acre plot of land off U.S 101. She told police about at least seven other sexual encounters she had with her cousin after that. Life of Brian: Initially denied a gaming license by the state, Brian Bumb has since received a provisional license and become a partner in Bay 101 with his brothers, Tim and George. One month later, the state attorney general's office made a devastating announcement: Authorities had come across issues of "such magnitude" and "concern" that they would need at least another month to decide if gambling should be allowed at Bay 101. EVERY DAY THE CLUB stayed closed, the Bumbs lost more money. Eight days after the molestation incident was reported to police--and one day after Jeff Bumb formally refused his father's $6.9 million buyout offer--George Bumb Sr. sent Jeff a curt typewritten memo informing Jeff that he was terminated effective immediately and had to clean out his desk before 5pm. "I mean," Jeff later said at a deposition, "it was a time of hurt and heartache for us--and not my father, not my mother, not my brother George, not my brother Tim, not Brian could care less." The guy doesn't get a slap on the hand." "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." Life of Brian: Initially denied a gaming license by the state, Brian Bumb has since received a provisional license and become a partner in Bay 101 with his brothers, Tim and George. He and his brothers had a plan, he says. Matthew is the kind of guy a relative described to police as "polite," the guy parents wanted their daughters to date. The court saga evolved into a battle of wills between a father--a man who wouldn't even let the Vatican tell him what to do--and his oldest son, determined to break free from the old man's grasp. Though authorities were never able to prove a paid snuff plot, Jeff Bumb believes the allegations were a factor contributing to authorities' mistrust of him. On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. The investigation was given a shot in the arm after the arrest of Johnny Venzon in 1997, a cop who made headlines for burglarizing homes while on duty to pay for his mounting gambling debts. In a statement to police, Jeff's daughter recounted how the first incident had happened the year before on the Fourth of July at a family beach house near Santa Cruz when the older boy allegedly started fondling her while she was asleep on the living room couch. "My issue with [George Bumb Sr.]," Jeff Bumb complains about his father, "was his control of where you lived, what kind of house you bought, where your children went to school, who your friends are, whether your children went to college, who they would marry, what kind of wedding they would have." Jeff tells the story differently: "Matthew was my godson. As a compromise of sorts, he was debating whether he should apply for a license as a gaming-club manager instead of as an owner. Christopher Gardner According to Jeff, there was tremendous pressure from his father and others in the family to keep the incest a secret. Tim and George Jr. worried that pressuring state and city officials to deal Jeff back in at Bay 101 would backfire and authorities would close down the card room. Earlier this year, a month before Venzon was sentenced to 14 years in prison, district attorney investigator Michael Schembri closed out the Venzon case, noting in a court filing, "No new information has been uncovered relating to the murder for hire case [at the Flea Market] which our department investigated several years ago." When Jeff and Brian were denied licenses for Bay 101, Tim (above) and brother George Jr. jumped in. Three years ago, the Mercury News listed the Bumb family in the Top 10 of the valley's most generous political contributors. The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. And then police remembered the old rumors about a murder plot at the Flea Market, where Venzon had worked as a security guard for more than 15 years. Originally he was scheduled for questioning on March 10, 1997, but the old man's lawyers explained that their client was extremely ill, suffering from "severe life-threatening conditions," practically on his death bed. "I did a great job," Bumb says of the sprawling gambling club, furiously chomping on a piece of Wrigley's Doublemint, the gum he chews when he's not sucking on an unfiltered Camel. Snow White or Cinderella? Of the four brothers, Tim and George had faced the least resistance from state gaming officials. Eight days after the molestation incident was reported to police--and one day after Jeff Bumb formally refused his father's $6.9 million buyout offer--George Bumb Sr. sent Jeff a curt typewritten memo informing Jeff that he was terminated effective immediately and had to clean out his desk before 5pm. And Jeff himself had been playing poker since he was 12. Along the way, Jeff raised the ante, hiring Frank Ubhaus, a lawyer who represented Garden City card club, Bay 101's crosstown rival. After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. Just so everyone got the point, Jeff Bumb announced to the press that he and Brian were divesting from Bay 101, and records show he eventually sold his shares for $1.4 million. "I don't need their help," he barked at Werner. Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. On March 17, 1993, the City Council gave Bumb and his partners the green light to open a 40-table card room on a 10-acre plot of land off U.S 101. Well, guess what? Tim and George Jr. would appeal and reapply, the hope being that the club would open as soon as possible. After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. Now that their gaming license had been denied, a decision needed to be made--quickly. Or at least he thought he didn't. "I don't need their help," he barked at Werner. According to Werner, molestation of his daughter became part of a laundry list of damning things Jeff threatened to disclose if his buy-out demands weren't met. The court saga evolved into a battle of wills between a father--a man who wouldn't even let the Vatican tell him what to do--and his oldest son, determined to break free from the old man's grasp. Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. When family patriarch and Flea Market mastermind George Bumb Sr. was invited to attend a party with President Clinton in San Francisco a couple of years ago, he refused to go and sent his community relations specialist, Betsy Bryant, instead. Behind the scenes, the Bumbs suspected their potential gambling competitors and a disgruntled former Flea Market employee of giving investigators unsubstantiated material to use against them. Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. Eight months later, the frame of the weapon was found in a Salinas pond near Venzon's home with the barrel and slide missing. And that ain't happening because I can't afford it." The investigation was given a shot in the arm after the arrest of Johnny Venzon in 1997, a cop who made headlines for burglarizing homes while on duty to pay for his mounting gambling debts. But he didn't cash out. "He took care of it." Realizing that, Jeff offered to pay higher card-room taxes (next year the city expects to collect $4.5 million from Bay 101) and pick up the tab for security. (That thing that involved Jeff when Bay 101 was scheduled to open but didn't.)" Three years ago, the Mercury News listed the Bumb family in the Top 10 of the valley's most generous political contributors. He followed that with suits alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and misrepresentation. Police reports would suggest she had, "for about a year," been giving "blow jobs" to 19-year-old Matthew Bumb, son of George Bumb Jr. When he was jailed, the desperate cop wrote a 15-page handwritten letter in pencil to George Bumb in May 1997 asking the Flea Market owner to bail him out. But he didn't cash out. Bumb family attorney Ron Werner suggested that Jeff and his family had a hidden motive for waiting nearly a month to report the incident to police. But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. A nurse was present to monitor his condition. He started telling people around the office that he wanted out of the family business. Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. So Jeff, Brian and the remaining non-family partners backed out of Bay 101, handing everything over to Tim and George Jr. Preventive Medicine: George Bumb Jr. is a co-owner of Bay 101, where a snakebite kit is kept on-hand as a family joke. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. It's like we had no life except for the family." In 1970, Patrick teamed up with several musicians from around San Jose who had a band . Just so everyone got the point, Jeff Bumb announced to the press that he and Brian were divesting from Bay 101, and records show he eventually sold his shares for $1.4 million. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. And for nearly a month, they did. Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. First, Jeff tried to have the Bumb & Associates partnership dissolved after accusing his family of trying to force him out without paying him a fair price. At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses.
Or at least he thought he didn't. "I'm a big boy." Privacy hasn't been so easy to come by for the Bumbs in the '90s, since they got involved in Bay 101. Along the way, Jeff raised the ante, hiring Frank Ubhaus, a lawyer who represented Garden City card club, Bay 101's crosstown rival. Tim and George, under pressure from then Police Chief Lou Cobarruviaz, had already signed an agreement a year earlier that prohibited Brian, Jeff and their father from having anything to do with the card room. He and his brothers had a plan, he says. But there was no gambling done that night. attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. One of George Bumb Sr.'s granddaughters explained to police that her family was very old-fashioned: "The woman gets the short end of the deal; she is a whore. There were flowers everywhere. He and his brothers had a plan, he says. George Bumb Sr., an avid card player, held a regular weekly family poker game at his home. It did the unthinkable: "They didn't teach anything about this. Eight days after the molestation incident was reported to police--and one day after Jeff Bumb formally refused his father's $6.9 million buyout offer--George Bumb Sr. sent Jeff a curt typewritten memo informing Jeff that he was terminated effective immediately and had to clean out his desk before 5pm. Bumb family attorney Ron Werner suggested that Jeff and his family had a hidden motive for waiting nearly a month to report the incident to police. In her 10 years as the Flea Market's community relations specialist, Bryant has come to adore the lack of pretension among this clan of millionaires who have their offices in a mobile home where none of the furniture seems to match. I'm on the hook for $15 million. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." He followed that with suits alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and misrepresentation. Jeff was also getting word from his nieces and nephews that his father said at a family poker game: "If it was up to him, all the grandchildren would marry each other." He was also the kind of guy, police records reveal, who told his mother about the incidents "because he felt guilty." He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. Preventive Medicine: George Bumb Jr. is a co-owner of Bay 101, where a snakebite kit is kept on-hand as a family joke. And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. THINGS WERE certainly simpler back in the old days, before Bay 101, when the Bumbs were known for the Berryessa Flea Market, the family-owned business started in 1960 by 75-year-old family patriarch George Bumb Sr. "He worked for me." According to Werner, molestation of his daughter became part of a laundry list of damning things Jeff threatened to disclose if his buy-out demands weren't met. The elder Bumb may not have been feeling well, but he wasn't too sick to remember who was boss in this family. Just so everyone got the point, Jeff Bumb announced to the press that he and Brian were divesting from Bay 101, and records show he eventually sold his shares for $1.4 million. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. Tim now runs Bay 101, which he says is no easy task. One of George Bumb Sr.'s granddaughters explained to police that her family was very old-fashioned: "The woman gets the short end of the deal; she is a whore. Other allegations were more dubious: Investigators chased after a tip that the Bumbs were skimming cash from the Flea Market parking lot, an accusation that was never proven. During his long tenure at the Flea Market, Venzon apparently developed a close relationship with George Bumb Sr. A FEW DAYS AFTER returning from his son's Oct. 13, 1995, military graduation in San Diego, Jeff and his wife, Elizabeth, got some appalling news: Their 14-year-old daughter had been involved in a sexual relationship with an older male cousin. Though authorities were never able to prove a paid snuff plot, Jeff Bumb believes the allegations were a factor contributing to authorities' mistrust of him. "I mean," Jeff later said at a deposition, "it was a time of hurt and heartache for us--and not my father, not my mother, not my brother George, not my brother Tim, not Brian could care less." Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. When he was jailed, the desperate cop wrote a 15-page handwritten letter in pencil to George Bumb in May 1997 asking the Flea Market owner to bail him out. "They had to find Snow White and Cinderella," Tim Bumb says, "and that was George and I." When Jeff and Brian were denied licenses for Bay 101, Tim (above) and brother George Jr. jumped in. As legend has it, the Bumbs still send a monthly check to the widow of a former head of security who died of a brain tumor 20 years ago. Toward the end of the call, things got heated. Jeff signed a deal with his brothers that prohibited him from owning Bay 101 stock until he got all the necessary licenses. Jeff entertained offers to buy the club, the highest bid, he recalls, coming in at $40 million. Jeff was also getting word from his nieces and nephews that his father said at a family poker game: "If it was up to him, all the grandchildren would marry each other." "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. The guy doesn't get a slap on the hand." Christopher Gardner "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. In a statement to police, Jeff's daughter recounted how the first incident had happened the year before on the Fourth of July at a family beach house near Santa Cruz when the older boy allegedly started fondling her while she was asleep on the living room couch. Along the way, Jeff raised the ante, hiring Frank Ubhaus, a lawyer who represented Garden City card club, Bay 101's crosstown rival. Almost four months later, on July 21, 1998, George Bumb Sr. appeared in the downtown offices of Berliner Cohen to have his deposition taken. In fact, Tim and George had to agree not to collaborate with other Bumbs on any new business venture. Tim and George Jr. worried that pressuring state and city officials to deal Jeff back in at Bay 101 would backfire and authorities would close down the card room. He followed that with suits alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and misrepresentation. A nurse was present to monitor his condition. According to Werner, molestation of his daughter became part of a laundry list of damning things Jeff threatened to disclose if his buy-out demands weren't met. Earlier this year, a month before Venzon was sentenced to 14 years in prison, district attorney investigator Michael Schembri closed out the Venzon case, noting in a court filing, "No new information has been uncovered relating to the murder for hire case [at the Flea Market] which our department investigated several years ago." Whenever trouble arose at the Flea Market with city code or building inspectors, the Bumbs sent Jeff to settle things. When he was jailed, the desperate cop wrote a 15-page handwritten letter in pencil to George Bumb in May 1997 asking the Flea Market owner to bail him out. "He worked for me." But his dream, which now seemed so close to being a reality, was about to become a nightmare. It's like we had no life except for the family." Werner said no. Hamilton, where Latin mass is conducted on a regular basis. One month later, the state attorney general's office made a devastating announcement: Authorities had come across issues of "such magnitude" and "concern" that they would need at least another month to decide if gambling should be allowed at Bay 101. At the time, San Jose, like cities throughout the state, was strapped for cash, looking at an $11 million budget shortfall. Dealers stood at the tables, ready to deal the cards. He followed that with suits alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and misrepresentation. Toward the end of the call, things got heated. I'm on the hook for $15 million. "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" Even though all the lights were out, she told police that she knew it was Matthew "because the moonlight shined into the room through the large windows that faced the ocean." VENZON WAS well known to the Bumbs. According to Werner, molestation of his daughter became part of a laundry list of damning things Jeff threatened to disclose if his buy-out demands weren't met. Earlier this year, a month before Venzon was sentenced to 14 years in prison, district attorney investigator Michael Schembri closed out the Venzon case, noting in a court filing, "No new information has been uncovered relating to the murder for hire case [at the Flea Market] which our department investigated several years ago." One of George Bumb Sr.'s granddaughters explained to police that her family was very old-fashioned: "The woman gets the short end of the deal; she is a whore. First, Jeff tried to have the Bumb & Associates partnership dissolved after accusing his family of trying to force him out without paying him a fair price. ON AUG. 11, 1995, Jeff sat in his Flea Market office scribbling on a piece of paper, plotting his grand return to his peach palace. As a compromise of sorts, he was debating whether he should apply for a license as a gaming-club manager instead of as an owner. Lofgren's (D-San Jose) net worth of at least $1.6 million included a $500,000 rental property and a collection of retirement and other investment accounts worth at least $1.3 million.. And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. Matthew Bumb's attorney argued that the relationship was consensual. Just so everyone got the point, Jeff Bumb announced to the press that he and Brian were divesting from Bay 101, and records show he eventually sold his shares for $1.4 million. After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. Jeff's grandfather, Frank Bumb, had met his wife, Mary, at a card parlor in San Francisco where they worked. The gambling palace Jeff Bumb--the oldest son who is often described as the most entrepreneurial of the four brothers--had in mind was going to take a lot of effort and political skill. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. ON AUG. 11, 1995, Jeff sat in his Flea Market office scribbling on a piece of paper, plotting his grand return to his peach palace. AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed.